LOS ANGELES — The energy is back and so are the Los Angeles Lakers (for now), who are back in the win column and snapped a three-game losing streak with a 125-101 victory over the last-seeded Sacramento Kings on Sunday to push their record to 20-10 in 30 games.
The win also ended a three-game losing streak at home and improved their record to 8-5 at Crypto.com Arena this season and 13-3 against teams below .500.
advertise
Head coach J.J. Redick made a point of setting the tone during his pregame press conference with Luka Doncic and LeBron James without Austin Reeves for the next month. They did that and more against the second-worst team in the Western Conference.
At the beginning of the first quarter, the Lakers scored 19 of their 30 points. They continued to beat the Kings in every quarter – a feat the Lakers had never accomplished before.
“This is the first game all year that we’ve won all four quarters,” Reddick said. “Overall, it was 48 minutes of solid basketball.”
Doncic scored 24 points in the first half, and James, who turns 41 in two days, had his most explosive performance of the entire season, shocking the crowd with two consecutive alley-oops that night – one of which he stared into the stands after.
advertise
James made his presence felt in the paint in Sacramento, hitting 11 of 14 shots for a season-high 84% shooting and finishing with 24 points.
The Lakers’ high energy and effort continued into the second half, and they immediately went on a 13-2 run in the second half. A big reason for such a result was guard Nick Smith Jr.’s hot start. Four of his first seven field goals came from three-point range. He once scored 18 points in 10 minutes.
“I’m in a locked-in space right now. Do whatever I can to help this team win,” said Smith Jr., who scored 21 points in 23 minutes. “I try to prepare every day just like I do on game day.”
Before the game, Redick mentioned that Smith Jr. will have more opportunities to fill Reeves’ vacancy.
advertise
“He helped us win tonight,” Redick said of Smith Jr. “That’s why we wanted him to join the Lakers and be part of our plan because we know he can score.”
The Lakers continued to work hard in the fourth quarter, taking their largest lead (30 points) and finishing the game with 15 three-pointers (third most this season) and 14 steals.
Redick hinted at lineup changes when he replaced Doncic two minutes before the end of the first quarter instead of playing out the first quarter game by game as usual.
Doncic performed even better in the second quarter, scoring 34 points (5 rebounds, 7 assists). This was the 10th time he scored 30 points this season.
The Lakers continue a five-game homestand against the Detroit Pistons on Tuesday before a back-to-back against the Memphis Grizzlies.
